CHAPTER IV—THE NOUN

CHAPTER IV—THE NOUN

§ 1. The Formation of Nouns.

Nouns are either primitive or derived. Primitive nouns have no special terminations to distinguish them from other words. Derived nouns, chiefly abstract, are formed from adjectives, verbs, or other nouns. There are also verbal nouns which have the form of the infinitive of verbs.

1. Nouns are derived from adjectives and occasionally from nouns and verbs, by adding _der_ or _ter_. Thus:—

_dader_, goodness, from _da_, good.

_gwîrder_, truth, from _gwîr_, true.

_gwander_, weakness, from _gwan_ or _gwadn_, weak.

_golowder_, brightness, from _golow_, light.

_tekter_, beauty, from _teg_, beautiful.

_whekter_, sweetness, from _wheg_, sweet.

_îthekter_, horror, from _îthek_, horrible.

_melder_, sweetness (to taste), from _mel_, honey.

_yender_, coldness, from _yên_ or _yein_, cold.

_splander_, brightness, splendour, from _splan_, bright.

_tewlder_, darkness, from _tewal_, dark.

_tewder_, thickness, from _tew_, thick.

_tanowder_, thinness, from _tanow_, thin.

_powsder_, heaviness, from _pows_, heavy.

_scavder_, lightness (of weight), from _scav_, light.

_medhalder_, softness, from _medhal_, soft.

_glanithder_, cleanness, from _glanith_, clean.

_mǒgilder_, warmth, from _mǒgil_, warm.

_tǒmder_, heat, from _tǒm_ (or _tǔbm_), hot.

_downder_, depth, from _down_, deep.

_sehter_ (or _zehar_), drought, from _segh_, dry.

_ewhelder_, height, from _ewhel_, high.

_crevder_, strength, from _crev_, strong.

Some adjectives ending in _s_ revert to an original _t_ in this formation. Thus:—

_calletter_, hardness, from _cales_, hard.

_goscotter_, shelter, from _goskes_, sheltering.

_ponvotter_, trouble, from _ponvos_, trouble.

It will be seen that this _der_ or _ter_ answers to the English termination _ness_, and may be added to almost any adjective to form the corresponding abstract noun.

2. Abstract nouns are derived from other nouns or adjectives by the addition of _eth_ or _neth_.

_gwiryoneth_, truth, from _gwiryon_, truthful.

_cosoleth_, rest, peace, from _cǒsel_, quiet.

_skîantoleth_, wisdom, from _skîantol_, wise.

_folneth_, folly, from _fol_, a fool.

_materneth_, royalty, from _matern_, a king.

_gokeneth_, stupidity, from _goky_, a fool.

_mescogneth_, {76} madness, from _mescok_, a madman.

_gowegneth_, falsehood, from _gowek_, a liar.

_roweth_, bounty, from _ro_, a gift.

This termination answers more or less to the Latin _itas_ or English _ity_.

3. Abstract nouns are derived from verbs by the addition of _ans_. Thus:—

_crejyans_, belief, from _cresy_ (or _crejy_), to believe.

_givyans_, forgiveness, from _gava_, to forgive.

_deskyans_, learning, from _desky_, to learn.

_disqwedhyans_, discovery, from _disqwedhas_, to discover.

_gordhyans_ (_gorryans_), glory, from _gordhya_ (_gorrya_), to worship.

_bownans_, life, from _bewa_, to live.

_marnans_, death, from _marwel_ or _merwel_, to die.

_selwans_, salvation, from _selwel_, to save.

_tristyans_, sadness, from _trist_, sad.

_tibyans_, thought, from _tibya_, to think.

This termination answers to the Latin _antia_ or _entia_, and the English _ance_ or _ence_. It is generally added to the root of the verb.

4. Nouns signifying agents or doers are derived from other nouns, adjectives, and verbs by the addition of _or_, _er_, _ar_, or _yas_ (earlier _iad_ or _iat_).

_tŷor_, a tiler, from _tŷ_, to cover.

_pestrior_, a wizard, from _pestry_, magic.

_pescajor_, a fisherman, from _pescas_, plur. of _pesk_, fish.

_cosǒlyer_, a counsellor, from _cǒsǒl_, counsel.

_revader_ or _revajor_, a rower, from _rev_, an oar.

_trǒccyer_, a fuller.

_lyuyar_, a dyer, from, _lyu_, colour.

_gwîadar_, a weaver, from _gwîa_, to weave.

_bǒnkyer_, a cooper, from _bǒnk_, a blow.

_ǒmdowlar_, a wrestler, from _ǒmdowla_, to wrestle.

_gǒnnador_ or _gonajor_, a sower, from _gǒnas_, to sow or plant.

_mijar_, a reaper, from _mijy_, to reap.

_stênor_, a tinner, from _stên_, tin.

_selwyas_, a saviour, from _selwel_, to save.

_gwithyas_ (also _gwithyor_), a guardian, from _gwithya_, to keep.

_kernyas_, a trumpeter, from _corn_, a horn.

_rennyas_, a carver, from _ranna_, to divide.

_sewyas_, a tailor, from _sewy_, to sew.

_pǔrkenyas_, an enchanter, from the intensive prefix _pur_ (lit. very) and _cana_, to sing.

_helhyas_, a pursuer, from _helhya_, to hunt.

_scrivinyas_, a writer, from _scrîfa_, to write.

_offeryas_, a priest, from _offeren_, mass.

_hǒmbrǒnkyas_, a leader, from _hǒmbrǒnkya_, to lead.

Many words in _yas_ occur only in the Cottonian Vocabulary, and appear there as ending in _iad_ or _iat_, but since all the Cottonian words in _iad_ and _iat_ which do appear in later MSS. are made in the latter to end in _yas_ (or _ias_), and since it may be taken as an invariable rule that all words ending in _t_ or _d_ in Welsh or Breton, if they occur at all in Cornish, end in _s_, any Cottonian word in _iat_ or _iad_ may fairly be taken for purposes of modern Cornish to end in _yas_.

§ 2. The Gender of Nouns.

Nouns are of two genders, masculine and feminine. There is no neuter.

There is no rule whereby to tell the gender of a word, except in the case of animate objects, where the gender simply follows the sex.

There are only three grammatical cases in which gender matters at all.

1. When a noun or an adjective preceding a noun is preceded by the article _an_, the. If the noun or adjective is masculine singular or the noun feminine, or the adjective of either, plural, its initial remains in the first state. If the noun or adjective is feminine singular or the noun is masculine plural, {78} it is changed to the second state.

When a qualifying adjective follows a noun in the masculine or in the plural of either gender, the initial of the adjective remains in the first state. If the noun is feminine singular, the initial of the adjective changes to the second state.

3. The pronoun of the third person singular, used for a feminine noun, even when it signifies an inanimate object, is _hŷ_, she, not _ev_, he. Examples:—

_tâs_, a father; _an tâs_, the father.

_tassow_, fathers; _an dassow_, the fathers.

_mergh_, a daughter; _an vergh_, the daughter.

_merhes_, daughters; _an merhes_, the daughters.

_tâs mas_, a good father; _mergh vas_, a good daughter; _an vergh vas_, the good daughter.

_tassow mas_, good fathers; _merhes mas_, good daughters.

It will be evident, considering that a large number of nouns and adjectives do not begin with mutable letters, that the question of gender only applies to a limited number of nouns and adjectives, and therefore presents but little difficulty. Perhaps the best way to learn the genders of nouns with mutable initials is to get accustomed to their sound with the article prefixed.

The feminine equivalents of certain masculine nouns denoting animate objects are represented, as in other languages, in one of two ways, by the addition of a syllable or by different words.